I am studying the effect of trauma on the ability to learn, and I can’t get my head around this concept. I get genetics. I get experience-determined elements, but I do not get epigenetics.
In: Biology
Epi means above. It’s a higher level of genetics which affects gene expression without affecting the genetic code itself. Environmental factors during the individual’s lifetime cause chemical modifications to the genetic material. These modifications are basically markers, chemical groups that are stuck onto the chromosome, which have the effect of promoting, demoting, and disabling the reading of that section of the chromosome. This has wide ranging effects on the displayed characteristics of the individual, and epigenetic information carried in the gametes can also be passed on to offspring (i.e. trauma experienced in your lifetime can have an effect on your children).
In the case you’re studying, experienced stress causes cells in the body (brain, perhaps) to add markers to their DNA. These markers mean that some genes are promoted or demoted, and the proteins that are over- or under-produced have critical implications for cognitive function.
Epigenetic information from the parents is ‘nature’ and acquired epigenetic alterations are ‘nurture’.
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